The Cold and Foggy Return
by Limerantic
Summary: Yu returned to Inaba, one year later. Lots of things have changed, and it's all his fault. Yu must fix all that has happened, or risk breaking the bonds and unleashing a Shadow into the world.
1. Foggy Bonds

**The journey after the journey finished begins. Do not be alarmed. We have summoned you in your dreams. Just because the car has reached its destination, and just because the fog has already cleared, doesn't mean the car will remain where it is, nor does it mean that we can see everything. There are still more places to be, more destinations to make. Humans are flowing in the river of time, and even though they already reached a place they wanted to be, time will eventually push them forward once more, granted with a new destination in mind, and running as quickly as before. **

** The cards that you have found throughout your last journey been returned to their rightful place. However, from one of the bonds you are affiliated with, a Seeker of Truth, you have access to persona of Lucifer, the Rebel King of Hell. Do not be alarmed, but do not be careless. It will be needed when the time comes.**

** We summoned you to prophesize the next mystery with your time. All the bonds that you have formed with those around you, though strong and unbreakable, has been shrouded in mystery, since time has pushed all those around you away. Time has strained the bonds, and the actions that brought your loved ones closer in your previous experience has now aided with time to expel those further away. You must atone for your many transgressions you have committed. If you atone, the mystery will be revealed, but not solved. And once all bonds have been defogged, you will have one final trial that you will have no part in.**

** That is the prophecy that I will give to you. Until we meet again, farewell.**

_**The day is April 1.**_

"Nanako, we're going to the train station. We're going to pick up your big brother." Dojima said to his 10-year-old daughter. "Oh. Okay." Nanako replied. She was originally sitting in her room's desk, diligently doing her homework. Despite her empty response, she continued writing. "Nanako!" Dojima screamed. Nanako sighed, and put down her pencil. "Alright..." She slumped out of her chair, and walked out of her room. "What's the matter with you? I thought you'd be excited to see your big brother again." Nanako remained silent. Dojima shook his head in disappointment, and walked out to his white car, and drove off to the train station.

While driving, Dojima had a disappointed look on his face. He had random bursts of sighs. Otherwise, the car was absolutely silent. Even the engine, after an accident two years back, still remained very quiet. Noticing the quiet, Nanako placed earphones in her ear, and connected it to her MP3 player. When she hit play, the music was so loud that Dojima could hear the words of the song she was listening to. From his rear-view mirror, he could see that her earphones were on. "Nanako! What did I tell you about playing that device too loud?" Nanako took her earphones off, and looked at the mirror. "Shut up." The car came screeching to a halt. "Nanako. You know the area we're in now. Just... get out." Nanako picked up her things, opened the door, and slammed the door. Dojima wiped his forehead, and, for a moment, remained absolutely still. A honk came from behind him, and an angry orange-haired teen popped out of his window. "Move it! I got to go somewhere!" Dojima sighed, and began driving again, ignoring the agitated boy.

When Dojima arrived, there stood a teenager, with silky gray medium length hair. He donned a dark gray jacket and matching pants. He had a small briefcase with him, but other than that, he came empty handed. Dojima knew that this was his nephew. "Welcome back. Come, let's go home." Dojima said to his nephew. Yu simply nodded. Those two walked towards the car.

The car was about as silent as when Nanako was still in there. Dojima, already learned his lesson with Nanako, tried to conjure up some small talk. "So, you enjoyed being in Tokyo for a year?" Dojima asked. Yu looked out the window, while giving him a response, as well as nodding his head. "Ah. I bet you had a lot more to do there than here in Inaba, huh? Did you meet up with a couple of your old friends?" Yu nodded again, still looking out the window. The car stopped for a red light, and Yu's silver eyes widened. Outside, he saw a person, with a dark blue cap and a slightly darker blue overcoat. The person was standing there, looking at the floor, with one arm at her hip, looking like she was pondering on something. This person was Naoto.

Naoto looked up, and saw Yu. Yu lifted his arm to wave, but Naoto returned the wave with a cold glare. The ocean blue eyes that glared at him frosted his entire body.. Yu put his trembling hand down, his spine feeling like someone poured liquid nitrogen from inside of him. His body stiffened up, and his eyes looked back down. Things in Inaba certainly have changed. Igor definitely was telling the truth when he said that Yu's bonds, though strong previously, were definitely unknown to him now that he was gone.

Come to think of it, Yu never received any text messages or calls ever since he left. Just from that alone, the bonds from the past don't feel strong. They feel severed. The car drove off again, continuing to Dojima Residence. "Hey. Are you okay? This happened last time though... Are you tired from the train ride?" Dojima asked in concern. Yu responded that he was fine, though his head felt like it was splitting open, down the middle.

After another long awkward pause, Yu asked about Nanako. Dojima grimaced, and Yu took note of that. He came to realize that the question he asked may have been a bad one to ask at that time. "Oh... Nanako... she was misbehaving, and, well, I told her to just go home." The car began to slow down a little bit, and Dojima began looking down. "Heh... I'm a terrible parent..." Dojima started chuckling to himself, though it was clear that he was already bogged down by his own thoughts. The car suddenly jerked to a near stop. Blood splattered the windshield.

"What the..." Dojima began. He fully stopped, and quickly turned around. A old woman wearing a funeral outfit was on the floor, and a dark streak of red stained the concrete, the car, and even her. "Oh shit..." Dojima kicked the door open so hard, the door seemed to get slightly unwedged. He ran over to the woman, pulling out her cell phone, and calling the ambulance. Yu decided to just stay in the car. His mind was wrapped up in the ideas that Igor talked about. He seemed to be right. All the bonds that he seemed to have made unbreakable were now shown as a supreme enigma. He sighed and walked out of the vehicle.

"I... I did it... again..." Dojima mumbled to himself while on the phone, making sure Yu didn't hear. Yu walked closer to the woman. "Hey! Go back to the car. Okay?" Yu nodded. However, he was close enough to recognize the woman. That woman was Hisano Kuroda. Even though she was in excruciating pain, she had a weak smile on her face. "Go into the trunk of the car. I didn't tell you, but your scooter is there... I hope you still have your scooter license. Just... go home without me. Nanako should be there. I'll take care of this... I'll be home late. Okay?" Yu nodded again, and followed his frantically given instructions.

On his scooter heading towards the Dojima Residence, Yu began contemplating everything he has witnessed thus far. Naoto became very antagonistic of him, and Hisano was killed. Igor told him that his bonds would have been weakened. But... these bonds were unbreakable. Perhaps unbreakable doesn't mean unable to be weakened. Nothing really seems to make sense. After all that time in the other world, dealing with something as simple as social links wouldn't be terribly difficult, right? Though... Yu has to see for himself how bad everything has gone.

He finally arrived at the house, and rang the doorbell. Yu scratched his head from all that has occurred already. After a brief twenty seconds or so, he rang the doorbell again. Two minutes passed, and nothing happened. He tried opening the door. The door indeed was open. He slowly crept in, and looked around the house. It was, for the most part, absolutely the same as when he left. The house was so similar, it looked like it was stuck in time. He walked upstairs to his old room to see if everything was kept the same. Aside from all the things he took with him back to Tokyo, everything was the same. Television that broadcasted the Midnight Channel so many times, the bed that he slept in for just about every single day, even his desk where he studied, nothing seemed to be altered. If anything, the only difference aside from his things gone was the layers of dust that accumulated on the objects that remained.

Despite the dust, he jumped on top of the bed, and closed his eyes yet again. He knew that there was too much to think about. And as much as he wanted to put action right behind those thoughts, it wasn't the right time to do anything but reflect. His eyelids seemed to have a mind of its own. They would alternate between staying open or closed. Slowly, Yu's eyelids eventually yielded to his biological need of sleep. His eyes closed one last time, and he drifted to sleep.

_**The day is April 2.**_


	2. Baka!

**Welcome to the Velvet Room. Taken in moderation, romance can fertilize your heart; but if taken in excess, it will prick you. Those were the words I said to you when you established the Lovers Arcana, no? I made sure Marie wasn't here, nor did she leave any pages of her lovely and riveting poetry behind. The excess romance that you have... you've been pricked already, haven't you? Like that face that you had when Igor wanted to speak to you, and Marie was here. Ha! That was hilarious. In any case, your first battle will be a strong one. What a way to come back. Your life is already on the line. Hehehe... The battle... that has been fueled by true love, true love that you have trampled on. **

** Don't worry about Marie. You screwed up, but I'm sure I can help the fallen angel. Hopefully she'll take you off that "hate list" of hers. As for me... well, unlike the poet and the long lost one, I'm not one to hold a big grudge on those who have access to this room. The long lost one... she really seems like she should be here... Oh well. I'm still content that you came to see me, without the Nose... Hehe... Hope to see you next time, Chosen One.**

Yu woke up, but his entire body was asleep. Eyes refused to open. Limbs refused to respond. Brain sent more signals to the limbs, but no response was ever found. It took about a whole hour before his limbs began moving once more. Once he was able to grasp his ability to move again, the first thing he did was pull out his cell phone and looked at the time. It was 4:00 AM, too early for any class. Then again, he would be transferring back into Inaba University as a first-year; it wouldn't be smart to approach the school with a malfunctioning body. It was a little weird going to a school where everyone in his age is in the same boat as he is. All of his fellow students would be new as well. That hasn't happened since his time in his first year in high school in Tokyo.

Since his body simply refused to cooperate with him, Yu sighed, and once again, drifted off into sleep. He should make sure that he gets up in time. After all, he still needs to get his papers done. Finally, his concentration to achieve sleep returned. But all he dreamed about were two dark blue seas, him being drawn nearer and nearer. The seas merged into one, and Yu was slowly submerged underneath the midnight water. He reached his hands out before eventually yielding to his fate.

His eyes opened underneath the deep waters. He saw no fishes, nor algae, nor surface of the water. He might as well be lost in space. Lifeless, desolate, lonely. He tried taking a breathe, and at least that felt... normal. He looked around further, and saw a small glint of yellow. He tried swimming in the direction of the light. The truth must be there, it must! Fatigue started settling in. His arms were having more and more trouble forcing itself to push right through the thickening waters. His legs began to stiffen. Yu's ability to breathe began to waver. It was like he was climbing a mountain, the air getting more and more shallow as he approached the light. His eyes began to burn from keeping them open. His chest started caving into itself. It would have only been a matter of time before he would lose consciousness. "Per... son... a!" He struggled to scream. With one last burst of strength, he tried to power his way to the light. He forced his burning eyes to look at the light one last time before fainting. What he saw was a yellow triangle shape... it was slightly distorted and very difficult to truly tell what it was. Yu exhaled one last time. He wouldn't be able to move forward.

His eyes opened. His pupils started running around in circles, to wrap up what has just happened. Yu is back in his room. After blinking twice, he decided to hop out of his bed. He grabbed the folder on his desk containing his personal information and after changing into his clothes and taking care of all his hygienic needs, walked out of the door. Yu got on his scooter and started driving towards Inaba University.

On the way there, the fox of the shrine looked at him from a rooftop. For a reason that only it has realized, it started running across rooftops, telephone wires, and other tall objects to follow Yu. Every turn Yu made trailed the fox right behind him. Even when Yu fell over and into a full trash can that managed to remain standing, it continued to follow until it completely caught up. As Yu struggled to get out, the fox achieved touchdown and helped Yu out of the trashcan by pushing it over. Yu was able to get himself out from there, and saw the fox looking at him intently. He briefly glanced at the road that he was treading, and noticed the big pothole that he ran over. He walked up to the fox and scratched its head. The fox jumped around, and started running circles around Yu. He started laughing, and scratched its head. The fox nodded, as if it understood Yu, and jumped its way back to the rooftops. It went back to the direction of the shrine.

Yu continued his ride to Inaba University. He realized that even though he seemed to be fine in riding his scooter the day previously, he was still a little rusty. He would have avoided that pothole without a second thought. Perhaps he was just careless. Nonetheless, Yu continued his ride.

When he arrived, the university was completely empty. No first-years, no greeting upperclassmen, no security, no one. Another desolate area. The gate was open though, so Yu decided to just march in. Inaba University looked nice. The area had beautiful green grasses, along with well trimmed shrubbery. The pathway to the entrance was clean; no gum blackened by students feet, no weeds growing in the cracks, no garbage thrown by careless individuals, concrete still in good condition. The stairs are equally as maintained. The windows were pristine, to say the least. The wooden door of the building however was rather old. Yu felt the door handle. It was cold and creaky. He twisted the handle and pulled.

As soon as Yu opened the door, he saw a familiar face. It was Sayoko Uehara. "Oh! Hey there, I haven't seen you since we met at Inaba Municipal Hospital." She giggled a little, while extending her open hand to him. Yu extended the opposite hand to confirm the handshake. "Ever silent as usual? Perhaps you made a mistake?" Yu looked down. "Wait... are you transferring here?" Yu nodded. "Hahaha, don't worry. The school year hasn't started yet. I came back from my trip of working across the world, and I decided to become a medical practitioner here in I.U. Well, at any rate, you're looking for the admissions office, correct? Follow me." Yu stared blankly at the woman, he began to walk away. "Hey? Are you coming or what?" Yu took one step, and started smiling. As the nurse continued, he followed. Yu's eyes stayed on the black tile floor, and his mouth refused to move.

Sayoko knocked on a old wooden door to the left of them, and the door swung open. "Go on in. I'll see you when you get hurt." She slowly closed the door, giggling. "Ah, I know you. You were in that beauty pageant some time ago, yes? That gray hair, and that face. Yes, I know you. My niece wouldn't stop talking about you, and she had a picture too. Ha, what a riot." A low, baritone voice came from a chair, faced away from Yu. Yu covered his face with his left hand, and covered his left hand with his paper. "Don't hide your face. I could just tell." The chair turned around, and a man with a mixture of dark orange and gray hair was in the chair. He had a black eye patch over his left eye, and had a lime green right eye. His muscles were bulging from having both his elbows on the table and his hands holding one another, even from underneath his suit. His body was so large, he was nearly the length of the table he sat at, or at least that's what Yu saw. Terrifying would be a supreme understatement for this man. "So, when did you come back to Inaba and why?" Yu felt that the piercing green eye was giving him undivided attention, so he refused to put down the folder.

The time began passing by, talking about everything in the past, from when Yu first came to Inaba to when he left and came back once more. The man gruffed every so often, most likely in understanding. Yu talked about the hangouts with his friends and the many things they did within that one year. The man rubbed his slightly hairy chin, and began to think. "Well, at least you look like a good kid. Though... nah, not this time." The man extended his thick hand, just like how Sayoko did. "At any rate, I'll take care of the rest. I'll expect you on April 8 for the beginning of classes. Do take care, okay?" Yu nodded, and smirked, as he handed the pages in the folder. He still insisted on covering his face. The man turned around again. Yu didn't bother asking. He just stood up and left, with hands and folder on his face. "Hey, can you close the door?" Yu nodded, and shut the door with his free hand.. Looking at the door, it read in big, black, bold letters:

**ROOM 146**

**Admissions Office**

**Baka Shirogame**

There weren't any signs of vandalism or any changes that were obvious. Was this person's name literally "idiot?" And was this person related to Naoto? But... the name is supposed to be Shirogane, and not Shirogame... No way could this be a typo, or anything of the sort. Yu stared at the sign for a little bit, before deciding to walk back in the same direction that Sayoko had led him. Looking around, the school sported dull colors, or rather, shades. Aside from the old doors, the colors seen in the school were some shade of black, gray, or white. The signs pointing to which rooms are where are black. The tiled walls are gray. The teenager in the window has gray hair. Wait... that's just Yu.

He continued to walk on the right side of the hallways. Walking past room 128, Sayoko walked out. "Oh. Are you finished with Baka-Sempai?" He turned around and nodded. "Hm. That's good. I was just heading out to the restroom. Want to come with me?" Yu shake your head profusely. Sayoko giggled. "Well... If you say so. My offer from a long time ago still stands, just so you know." She smiled mischievously as she walked away. The door was still open. Yu peered inside. A confident man with plain brown bangs and oval glasses was reaching for something in his medical bag. His name tag read "Stiles." Yu continued walking, acting like he never stopped to look in the first place.

As he walked out of the building, Yu quickly wiped his eyes. Something flew in... When he cleared the debris, he squinted in the distance. He saw a yellow light, and remembered his trying nightmare. He started running. He wanted to see what it was. As he got closer, everything around him got blurrier and blurrier. Suddenly he stopped.

Yu just realized that he forgot his scooter. The bright light was so far away now, that it was pointless to even go chasing after it at this point. Yu sighed, and started walking back to his scooter. Once he got on, he decided just to go home.

Once he arrived home, he opened the door. He still didn't have his key, but it was fine. Nothing in the house was taken but... Where was Nanako? Yu decided that he should tell Dojima... Where was Dojima? He took out his cell phone and first tried dialing Nanako. After five rings, the voicemail came on. He called her once more. Nothing. He then tried calling Dojima. "Hello?... Hey. Sorry. I'm still trying to clear up everything. I know it's been an entire day. I'll be home in a couple of hours though... I'm at the hospital. I'm more concerned about that woman living than anything else at the moment. Oh, the nurse is calling me. Call you back later." The phone shut. Yu wasn't able to tell Dojima about Nanako yet. He tried calling back. The voicemail came on. Yu punched the wall in his room, completely upset how about everything has become.

Nanako was still missing. Naoto seemed to hate him. Dojima was taking care of Hisano after running her over. Aside from Sayoko, a woman he expected to never see ever again, and Baka, a man who terrifies him, he was alone. He jumped into bed. The thoughts from his deadly encounter with Mitsuo Kubo came back to haunt him.

The bonds that were once so strong, so unbreakable, were now shrouded in mystery.

Upon further thought, the thought of Igor, Margaret, and possibly Marie came into mind. With that, Yu flopped on his bed and eagerly tried to sleep. But no dreams came. No dreams of chasing a yellow triangle or a Velvet Room intervention. Instead, knocking on the door. "I'm home. I'll be on the couch. Good night." Yu sighed one last time, and fell asleep.

_**The day is April 3.**_

Yu was waken by Dojima. "Where's Nanako? Didn't she come home?" Yu sat up. "Did you see her?" Dojima's voice was raising, but shaking. Yu shook his head no. "And you were sleeping, without even noticing that she wasn't here... You know, you taught me a lot back in 2011 and 2012. I never thought you were the hypocritical type." With that, Dojima dashed out of his room.


End file.
